Shell feeding mechanism



Sept. 3, 1957 E. A. WILCKENS EI'AL SHELL FEEDING MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 7, 1949 5 She'ets-Sheet l M m M 2 0 M e l W N fi r M W/ m' Il i, EH W fl o MM! O m H E 4 f. l -l.!\ 9 fi x wu m l #2: 5" l M 0 m. 4 6 1 P 3, 1957 E. A. WILCKENS ETAL 2,804,837

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SHELL FEEDING MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 7, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet. 4

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2,804,837 SHELL FEEDING Eibe A. Wilckens and Harry A. Ran, Baltimore, Md

assignors to Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltirnore, Md., a corporation of New York Original application December 7, 1949, Serial Ne.

131,554, now Patent No. 2,703,130, dated March 1,

1955. Divided and this application December 4, 1951, Serial No. 259,877

Claims. (Cl. 113-113.)

The present invention relates to shell feeding mechanism and, more particularly, to shell feeding mechanism for use with cap assembling apparatus. The application is a division of our original application Serial No. 131,554, filed December 7, 1949, now Patent No. 2,703,130, granted March 1, 1955 for Cap Assembling Apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide a shell feeding mechanism of such design that shells delivered thereto in a random stream readily will be formed into a line for movement to a cap assembling apparatus.

The mechanism is especially efficient in the handling of cap shells of the crown type referred to in said original application.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a shell feeding mechanism.

Figure 2 is a view of a rectifier chute taken at right angles to the Figure 1 showing.

Figure 3 is a detail horizontal section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the shell feeding mechanism.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the bowl element included in the shell feeding mechanism, the view indicating the position of various parts with respect to the bowl by means of dot and dash lines.

' Figure 6 is a fragmentary view looking upwardly toward the shell outlet of the bowl of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view showing the shell outlet of the Figure 4 bowl in side elevation, i. e., looking toward Figure 8 from the left.

Figure 8 is a detail vertical section on the line 88 of Figure 5 and the line 8x-8x of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 9 9 of Figure 4.

Figure 10 is a detail vertical section on the line 1010 of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a detail view of a shell retarder provided in the shell feeding means. 0

Figure 12 is a top plan view of a shell feeding drum included in the Figure 4 mechanism.

Figure 13 is a vertical section on the line 1313 of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 14-14 of Figure 12.

Figure 15 is a fragmentary bottom view of the Figure 12 drum.

As is described in said parent application Serial No. 131,554, the bowl 150 of the present mechanism would be supported some distance above the stationary table of a cap assembling machine so that cap shells discharged from bowl 150 will move downwardly by gravity through chute 53 to the horizontally disposed cap assembling dials of the assembling machine.

Bowl 150 is of generally cylindrical form to comprise a circular side wall 152 and a bottom wall 153. As is States Patent portion and drum 159 is keyed to this shaft.

shown in Figure 4, an infeed tube 154 fixed to the top edge of the bowl by bars 154a includes an upper funnel portion 155 into which cap shells are delivered from a bin, not shown, through an outlet 51. The lower end of tube 154 opens to a circular chamber 156 having an inside diameter of the order of ten inches and so positioned that its top wall 157 is substantially flush with the upper edge of bowl 150. A circular shield 157a is fixed to and extends upwardlyfrom the outer surface of the sidewall or skirt 158 of chamber 156 to prevent shells from piling up upon the top of chamber 156. An inwardly inclined shield 158a fixed to the top edge of bowl 150 prevents shells from being thrown out of the bowl. The depending skirt 158 of chamber 156 extends downwardly into the bowl 150 to be closely adjacent the upper surface of a distributor drum 159 which is rotatable within the bowl as hereinafter described. The circular outline of the skirt 158 of chamber 156 is indicated by dot and dash lines in Figure 5, from which it will be observed that a' portion of the skirt 158 is cut away to provide an outlet opening 160 which extends throughout the height of the skirt. The opening 160 has a width about three times greater than the overall diameter of a cap shell. The height of thechamber 156 is slightly less than twice the overalldiameter of a shell so, as to permit shells to readily stand on edge therein. Hence, it follows that the opening 160 is also of such height that a shell may move freely therethrough while standing on edge. Bowl 150 has a shaft 162 journalled in its lower central Shaft 162 has a bevel gear 163 fixed thereto adapted to. be driven by a bevel gar 164 fixed to a horizontal shaft 165 journalled in a downward extension 166 of bowl 150. Shaft 165 is driven byra motor, not shown.

The drum 159 fixed to shaft 162 includes a top wall 168 lying in a horizontal plane .and closely adjacent the lower edge of the skirt 158 of chamber 156. The drum 159 includes a vertical and peripheral wall 169 of such diameter that, throughout its circumference, it is spaced from a band 170 inbowl 150 by a distance slightly ex ceeding the height of a shell, viz., the dimension of a shell measured from its top wall to the free end of its skirt. Band 170 is of hardened steel and is fixed in bowl 150 to forrn the inner peripheral surface of the latter. The inner surface of the band is highly polished to prevent scratching of shells moving along the same. As is best indicated in Figure 13, the top wall 168 and the vertical wall portion 169 of drum 159 are joined by an inclined Wall portion 171 which lies at approximately 50 to the vertical wall portion 169.

.As is best shown in Figure 9, the outlet 160 of chamber 156 has a shelf retarder or valve generally designated 171a associated therewith. Retarder 171a comprises a bar 1711) having one end fixed to the upper edge of the bowl side wall 152, the bar projecting radially inwardly toward the upper portion of chamber 156. As is illustrated in Figure 11, a number of resilient metal strips or fingers 1710 have one end fixed to bar 1711). In use, the fingers 171c are bent downwardly to lie alongside a side-edge of bar 1711: and then they are bent forwardly so as to present a convex surface to shells moving with drum 156, i. e., moving in the direction of the arrow of Figure 9.

As is apparent from Figures 9 and 10, the fingers 171c are bent to varying extents, the fingers positioned immediately above the horizontal drum wall 168 being bent further upwardly than those which lie above the inclined wall 171 of the drum. However, the fingers above the surface 168 will lie closely adjacent but out of contact with surface 168 while those immediately above inclined wall 171 have their lower ends sufficiently spaced from wall 171. by a. suflicient d tanc to permit a; shellto move freely.

beneath them and with the drum. As is hereinafter explained, the resilient and readily bendable fingers 171s provide a means to determine the feeding of shells from chamber 156 and with drum 159. The operator can adjust the position of the fingers by hand to meet the requirements of the cap-assembling mechanism. The fingers are accessible through an opening in the shield 158a, the opening normally being closed by a pivoted cover 171d.

As is hereinafter described in detail, rotation of drum 159 will cause shells to move beneath the fingers 1710 in substantially single file and while standing between the drum wall 169 and the bowl lining band 17 9. The drum will move the thus-positioned shells to an outlet deflector 172 positioned above an outlet opening 173. In order to cause the shells to thus move with the drum 159, the latter is provided with suitable impelling means projecting from its various surfaces. One such impelling means is a conical projection 175 secured in an aperture in the top wall of the drum at such distance from the axis of the drum that the protuberance will rotate immediately adjacent and within the depending skirt 158 of chamber 156. It will be noted that because the protuberance 175 thus rotates within chamber 156 beneath a group of shells resting upon the drum and within chamber 156, the lower shells will be caused to rotate and thereby move in single file through the opening 160 and out upon the portion of the top wall of drum 159 which is outside chamber 156.

A second impelling means is secured to the inclined surface 171 of drum 159, this means comprising a hardened steel plate 180 of relatively small area as indicated in Figure 5. Plate 180 has an outer and central surface portion 180a which is flat, i. e., parallel to lines lying on the surface 171. The border portion of the outer surface of plate 180 is beveled downwardly to the drum surface 171 as indicated at 18Gb in Figure 4. The fiat surface portion 180a projects about /s of an inch beyond the surface 171. A third impelling means is provided at the junction of the inclined surface 171 and the vertical surface 169, this means comprising three plungers 181 positioned in bores 182 extending at 45 to the vertical (Figure 13). The thus inclined plungers 181 are spring urged outwardly to the position indicated in Figure 4. Three plungers 181 are provided, the three being equidistantly spaced about the drum as indicated in Figure 12.

A fourth impelling means comprising three horizontally arranged spring-pressed plungers 183 is provided adjacent the lower end of the skirt 169 as best indicated in Figure 4. These plungers are spring-pressed outwardly to the position illustrated in Figure 4. The plungers 183 are mounted in bores 184 equidistantly spaced about the drum. It will be noted from Figure 12 that one of the horizontally mounted plungers 183 is in vertical alignment with the impelling plate 180 and that the inclined plungers 181 are equidistantly positioned between the horizontally arranged plungers 183.

All of the above-mentioned plungers normally project about Vs of an inch beyond the surface of drum 159 and protuberance 175 projects about A of an inch above the top surface of the drum.

As is best shown in Figure 4, a hardened steel rail 188 is secured in a circular groove formed in the lower wall 153 of bowl 150 substantially midway between the inner surface of the lining band 170 and the outer periphery of the drum. The rail 188 extends above the surface of bottom wall 153 a sufficient distance that the skirt of a shell may ride thereon without the serrated edge of the shell contacting with the bottom wall of the bowl. This arrangement prevents the serrations at the free end of a shell skirt from wearing the lower wall 153 of bowl 150.

The outlet 173 of bowl 150 is illustrated in Figures 5 to 8. Figure 5 shows the outlet 173 as viewed from the top of the bowl while Figure 6 shows the outlet as viewed from beneath the bowl. Considering these two views with Figures 7 and 8, which respectively show the outlet in outside elevation and in transverse section, it will be observed that the outlet is formed by a notch or opening 190, rectangular in horizontal section, in the bottom wall 153 of the bowl. The opening 173 joins an enlargement 191 at its outer edge, but the enlargement will be entirely occupied by a pivoted closure plate 191a indicated in dotted lines in Figure 8 and shown in elevation in Figure 1. Hence, opening 173 is the only outlet for the shells. As is indicated in Figure 8, the inner wall 193 of outlet 173 is in vertical alignment with the surface 169 of drum 159 so that a shell moving with the drum can drop directly downwardly through outlet 173 and into the chute 53 indicated in Figure l. The rail 188 does not extend across the outlet 173; instead, as is indicated in Figures 6 and 7, one end 194 of the rail terminates at the edge of outlet 173, while the top surface of the other end of the rail is cut away to fit beneath deflector 172.

With the drum 159 rotating in the direction of the arrows of Figures 5 to 7 and 9, shells will be guided downwardly toward the outlet opening 173 by the deflector 172 which is fixed to the inside wall of bowl 151? to overlie the outlet 173. As is best shown in Figure 7, deflector 172 includes an arm portion 195 which overhangs outlet 173, and the undersurface 196 of arm 195 curves downwardly toward the far side of the outlet 173. The inner surface of deflector 172 may be notched as indicated at 197, the purpose of the notch being to permit the plungers 183 to clear the deflector.

The outlet 173 has a circumferential width slightly greater than the overall diameter of the shells to he handled. Because the inner wall 193 is spaced inwardly from band 170 by a distance corresponding to the height of a shell, shells may move freely downwardly through outlet 173.

As is indicated in Figure 4, the shaft 162 to which drum 159 is fixed may have an eccentric portion 162a extending upwardly therefrom and into the tubular portion 154 of chamber 156. This slightly eccentric portion rotating within the shells falling into the chamber 156 tends to prevent the shells from accumulating in a fixed mass and also assists in moving them toward and out of the opening 160.

In the operation of the shell feeding mechanism 52, the shells will drop in substantial numbers through the funnel 155 so that a mass of shells will usually be present within the chamber 156. The rotation of the drum 159 in the direction of the arrow of Figure 5 plus the mov ment of the protuberance 175 with the drum will cause the shells to be impelled through the opening of chamber 156. Centrifugal force induced by the rotation of the drum 159 will further urge the shells toward opening 160. Drum 159 normally rotates at a speed of the order of 122 R. P. M. The inside diameter of bowl 150 is of the order of fifteen inches, being sufiiciently larger than that of chamber 156 that shells may move freely on the drum inthe space between the chamber and bowl.

As the shells move out of the chamber opening 160 their movement circumferentially with drum 159 will be retarded by the spring fingers 171C positioned at the side of the opening 160 which, in terms of the direction of rotation of drum 159, is the far side. In more detail, because the fingers nearest the side Wall 158 of chamber 156 have their ends lying close to the drum horizontal surface 168, the shells will be deflected toward the inclined surface 171 of the drum, where more space exists beneath the fingers. If a greater supply of shells is desired, the fingers closer to chamber 156 can be bent further upwardly.

Any excess of shells will accumulate in back of the spring fingers and close the opening 160, thus preventing additional shells from moving from chamber 160. In a sense, the fingers form an automatic valve which the operator can adjust to meet demands. Stated another way, spring fingers 171a comprise a resilient outlet for chamber 156.

- The inclined surface 171 of drum 159 has a width in its inclined plane slightly greater than the diameter of a shell. The provision of the impeller plate 180 on this surface will keep shells moving with that surface if they do not slide directly downwarly between the band 170 and the vertical surface 169 of the drum. The inclined plungers 181 will keep the shells moving circumferentially of the bowl 150 as well as prevent shells from simply accumulating in the angle formed by the incline 171 and the band 170. When the shells drop into the space between the band 170 and the vertical surface 169 of the drum, the horizontal plungers 183 will urge the shells toward the deflector 172. The springs which urge the plungers 181 and 183 outwardly are relatively light so that if the plungers come into engagement with shells which may accumulate near or above the deflector 172, the plungers can retract to avoid damaging the shells.

The vertical wall 169 of drum 159 has a height approximately twice the overall diameter of a shell so that the shells may stand in two tiers against the surface of the drum if they happen to accumulate in that area. The undersurface 196 of deflector 172, at its inlet end, is spaced from the top surface of the bottom wall 153 of bowl 150 by a dimension of the order of one-and-onehalf times the diameter of a shell and the curvilinear portion of the surface 196 is formed on a radius of approximately the same dimension. Therefore, rapidly moving shells will be smoothly deflected into the outlet 173.

Because shells must move almost 360 with drum 159 after moving beneath the fingers 171s and before they reach deflector 172, there will be ample opportunity for shells to drop upon rail 188 before they reach the deflector.

As has been mentioned above, the space 191 adjacent outlet 173 will be closed by a pivoted gate 191a as illustrated in Figure 1. Outlet 173 opens to chute 53 which includes a rectifier such as generally indicated in Figures 1 to 3.

The side wall 152 of bowl 150 is provided with a kerf 199 above the space or cut-out 191, this kerf permitting the insertion of a wire or rod to release the shells if they become jammed in the outlet 173.

As is described in said original application, a shell which moves down chute 53 will receive adhesive upon the inner surface of its top wall and then will have a liner disc applied thereto. The liner discs may be fed to the cap assembling apparatus of said original application by a mechanism such as described in our divisional application Serial No. 259,878, now abandoned, for Liner Disc Feeding Mechanism filed of even date herewith.

The terminology used in the specification is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

We claim:

1. In a cap shell feeding device, a non-rotatable shell bowl including a horizontal bottom wall and a circular side wall, a circular drum rotatable in said bowl about a vertical axis concentric of said bowl, means to rotate said drum, a shell infeed chamber fixed with respect to said bowl above said drum and including a vertical skirt having its free and lower edge positioned sufficiently adjacent the upper surface of said drum to prevent shells from moving beneath said edge and so that said surface defines the lower wall of said chamber, said drum being of greater diameter than said chamber by a distance at least twice the diameter of a shell to be handled, an opening in the skirt of said chamber of sufficient size circumferentially and vertically of the chamber to permit a shell to move from said chamber and upon the upper surface of said rotating drum as the shells are moved within the chamber by the drum, said drum including a bevelled surface joining its upper surface and its periphery being spaced inwardly from the side wall of said bowl by a distance slightly greater than the height of a shell, said bowl including a shell outlet in its bottom wall and opening from the space between the side wall of said bowl and the periphery of said drum, and a downwardly inclined deflector fixed to the bowl to direct shells through the shell outlet.

2. A cap shell feeding device of the character described in claim 1 wherein the upper surface of said drum is provided with an upward protuberance spaced from its axis and within said chamber.

3. A cap shell feeding device of the character described in claim 1 including means positioned outwardly of and adjacent the opening in said chamber skirt to restrict movement of shells with said drum, comprising a resilient blade extending into the path of movement of the shells.

4. A cap shell feeding device of the character described in claim 1 including means positioned outwardly of and adjacent the opening in said chamber skirt to restrict movement of shells with said drum, comprising a plurality of resilient members extending downwardly toward the drum and arranged in a line extending substantially radially of the drum.

5. A cap shell feeding device of the character described in claim 4 wherein the line on which said resilient members are arranged is closely adjacent the edge of the opening in said chamber skirt toward which the drum rotates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,072,790 Tevander Sept. 9, 1913 1,641,672 Goebel Sept. 6, 1927 1,767,818 Smulski June 24, 1930 1,989,924 Hill Feb. 5, 1935 

